About Face
by Crazy Fool Stiney
Summary: Immediately after the movie. Face and Murdock have to finally talk to Hannibal regarding their relationship. F/M slash.


Face looked out the window at the dark road having no clue where they were. They'd escaped three days ago and had been driving with barely any stops and definitely not enough sleep, trying to put as much distance between them and L.A. as possible.

Murdock was taking up almost the entire backseat of the compact car Face scammed, stretched out asleep with his head in Face's lap. Face didn't care that he was pressed uncomfortably against the backdoor, legs having fallen asleep hours ago as long as Murdock was safe, breathing, alive. He slid his hand under Murdock's shirt along the warm skin of his back. _'What if Lynch hadn't taken the headshot? What if he'd gone for the chest?'_ Face let out a ragged breath and that's when he noticed Hannibal watching them.

'_Fuck this.'_ Face defiantly glared at Hannibal in the rearview mirror before looking back down at Murdock, the bruising from the gunshot spread out along the right side of his hairline. _'Come on, Boss. We'll do this right now. I don't have the patience anymore.'_

B.A. had been driving for hours and was beyond exhausted. They all were. The car drifted, hit the rumble strip and loudly shook the car.

Murdock bolted up, hands outstretched and eyes unfocused and wild. "No, no, no!"

"Murdock, hey, it's ok. Look at me, bud."

"I don't…" Murdock's face was sheet white as he started grasping at the window switch.

"Bosco! Pull over man, pull over." Face shouted as Murdock stuck his head out the window, throwing up what little he'd eaten at the disgusting diner they'd stopped at earlier in the evening, before the car had even come to a complete stop.

"You alright?" Face asked wiping Murdock's mouth with his sleeve when the pilot turned back around.

"Sorry. Up too fast, everything got spinny." Murdock smiled feebly.

"Bosco, you good?" Face asked.

"Hell no. I'm tired, can't keep my eyes open. You ok, fool?" B.A. looked at Murdock in the backseat.

"Right as rain, big guy."

"Man, you're full of shit." B.A. said as he turned and started to pull the car back onto the road. "You get any puke on the car you're cleaning it up."

"Boss, we gotta stop. We need sleep. Where the hell are we anyway?"

"Pennsylvania."

"Pennsylvania? I think it's safe to say we can stop for a day or two." Face tried to keep the irritation out of his voice. Face felt Murdock's hand glide across his thigh before the pilot laid his head on his shoulder.

"Hannibal, please. Look at B.A. he can barely keep us on the road anymore and swerving is not gonna help us if we catch the eye of a trooper."

"Alright. B.A. stop at the next exit that has a motel."

B.A. shook his head in agreement.

When they pulled off a couple miles later Face groaned at the sight of the motor lodge with half the lights off in the sign.

'_Just think of sleep not bed bugs or mold or God knows what else.'_

Murdock looked up then laughingly whispered in his ear. "Sorry it's not the Ritz, babe."

Face reached up and flicked him on the arm before getting out of the car to go get the rooms.

When Face came back out they were unloading the duffle bags out of the trunk. They'd stashed the bags; that now held what amounted to everything they owned in lockers at a bus station on the outside of L.A., just in case.

"Face, when you get done come back out here with me for a bit." Hannibal said lighting his cigar as he dropped his own bag next to a picnic table set up in the lot.

"Ok, boss." Face followed Murdock into the room and as soon as the door closed he pulled the pilot to him, kissing him hard and fast.

"What's up?" Murdock asked.

"Well, I'm 100% sure we're about to have 'the talk'." Face laughed uncomfortably.

"Ya' mean the birds and the bees and why are you screwing your teammate talk?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

"I'll come with you."

"No, no. It's ok." Face shook his head, more to assure himself than anything else_. 'So this is what it's like to have a "Dad talk".'_ He didn't know if he should be thankful or not for the nuns at St. Mary's.

Face walked out and sat across from Hannibal in the dark, the only light coming from the end of the Colonel's cigar. They sat in silence for what felt like hours, even though Face knew it'd only been about five minutes tops.

"How long?" Hannibal finally asked.

"Since Al Qahirah, so over a year and a half."

Hannibal made to say something but Face stopped him.

"No, Hannibal you need to listen to me first." He took a deep breath and continued fast before he lost his nerve.

"You may not understand but it's good. We're aware that the team comes first. That's never been a question. Trust me, I know that. This team is the only family either of us have and no matter what we want for each other that's overridden by what's best for our family. You know why I was so angry at you when you took me out of Pensacola?"

"Kid, did you really think they were going to let you out? After only 6 months?"

"Not think, Hannibal, they were. You've known me long enough to know, I'll get what's needed, and what I needed was get Murdock the hell out of Germany. I couldn't do that locked up. You know things weren't good there for him. You know the shit they were doing. Hell, they wouldn't even let him have phone calls." Face turned to look at the door to the room.

"I found this psychiatrist back in L.A. named Richter, supposedly the best fucking doctor on the West Coast. Murdock doesn't know about any of this. If it'd been up to me, he would have come first. I chose you. I chose the team because I knew that's what he would have wanted. You're my family, Hannibal but that doesn't mean I'll let us be split up again."

"Face. Relax. I can't split any of us up, obviously and even then..." Hannibal sighed putting out the cigar.

Like they didn't already have enough shit to worry about, now he had to process, this. Hannibal wished he hadn't seen that touch between the two. The one so obviously not for others eyes after they'd gotten out of tank fiasco in Germany.

Hannibal was glad it was dark out because he couldn't deal with looking directly at Face right now. He hadn't known any of the stuff Face'd told him about Pensacola. He'd had his own plan in order to get him and his boys' out, didn't even think that Face would have been working on one as well.

But then he hadn't known about them then.

How had he so blindly missed this? A year and a half? Then he realized it hadn't been noticed because they'd made sure it wasn't visible. He had never once doubted their dedication to the team and wasn't going to start now even if his head was starting to pound from thinking about all the sneaking and lying the pair had been doing over the period.

Face stood up, breaking his silent thoughts.

"I'm done, Hannibal. I'm going to bed. I'm fucking exhausted."

Hannibal heard challenge in Face's voice but the fatigue that ran straight through it was even stronger, so he let it go.

When Face got back to the room he heard the shower. He quickly stripped before walking into the bathroom, opening the shower curtain to step in behind Murdock who was leaning against the tile directly underneath the water.

Face placed a hand at the small of the pilot's back.

"Hey buddy, how you feeling?"

Murdock made a non-committal grumble.

"Uh, huh. Scoot up. This shower's small." Face said reaching over him for the showerhead. "Fuck, man, this water's scalding."

"Feels good though." Murdock turned to look at him. "How'd it go?"

"Ugh, gimme 10 minutes. You're right. This is the best damned shower ever." Face said as he ran his hands through his hair as Murdock laughed.

"Really? What about that one leave we had in Greece? That was a pretty epic shower."

"The shower was ok, the sex was epic." He grinned as he skimmed his hand down Murdock's side. "You never answered me. How's the head?"

"SSDD, darlin', SSDD."

"You don't get shot in the head every day. Come here." Face gripped Murdock's hip and pulled him close, as he ran his other hand gently through the pilot's hair along the tender bruising.

"Will I make it, Doc?" Murdock asked dramatically.

"Hmmm, I think the patient will make a full recovery."

"Hallelujah!" Murdock shouted, throwing his hands up.

/ / / / /

"Oh, shit this is the greatest bed ever." Face groaned, sliding into bed next to Murdock who looked at him with a cocked eyebrow.

"Are you sure _you_ didn't get shot in the head?"

"Shut up. I'll complain about this place in the morning."

"What'd Hannibal say?"

Face sighed, "Can I enjoy the comfort of this disgusting bed? We'll talk about it later."

Face cracked an eye open when he felt Murdock shift closer.

"I promise." Face said as the pilot looked at him warily.

"It's not bad. I think. I can explain better after sleep."

"Mmm." Murdock grunted, rolling over onto his stomach as he shoved his face in the pillow.

"One of these days you're gonna smother yourself like that." Face laughed as Murdock flipped him the bird in response before burrowing deeper into the threadbare pillows.

/ / / / /

When Face woke up he was surprised to find Murdock's side of the bed cold and empty.

"Murdock?" Face's confusion turned to panic when he saw only his bag on the chair.

He jumped out of bed, yanking his jeans on before opening the door.

"What the fuck?" His heart was beating double time as he looked around the empty parking lot. A feeling of dread that he hadn't felt since he was 5, really too young to understand such things, slammed into him. Left. He'd always be left.

Rushing to Hannibal and B.A.'s room he threw the door open to find it vacant as well.

"This cannot… Bosco! Hannibal! Murdock!" He shouted as he tore from the room into the bright sunlight.

/ / / / /

Murdock was snatched out of sleep by Face's thrashing and yelling.

"Face." He clicked on the bedside light and rolled over. "Shhh." Murdock soothed when tears leaked out of the conman's tightly closed lids. He reached up and drew a hand across Face's wet cheek. "Temp, wake up."

Face's hand grabbed his wrist tightly before his eyes flew open, dark and dilated.

"Hey, hey you're alright." Murdock moved to sit up and pulled Face with him.

"Sorry." Face apologized, wiping at his face.

Murdock reached out to run a hand through Face's hair but he shifted away from the touch.

"What happened?" Murdock asked softly.

"Nothing. Let's just go back to sleep." Face sighed, falling back onto the pillows. Before Face could protest Murdock was wrapped around him and instinctively his hand came up and slid through the pilot's hair as he stared at the ceiling.

Murdock kissed his neck, willed the pulse point under his lips to relax as Face exhaled.

"You, B.A. and Hannibal. I woke up and you were gone." His voice hitched and Murdock pressed himself tighter against Face's side. "It's stupid, I know."

Murdock leaned up and looked at him. "When I was 18, I was absolutely, 100% in love with Bobby Dean Taylor and I made the decision to tell my grandparents. Because you know, our love was so Earth shattering that I needed to sing it from the hilltops." Murdock waved his arm and smiled when he got a low chuckle from Face. He placed a quick kiss on Face's lips before he continued.

"I had it all planned out. I was gonna get up with my Granddaddy and tell him before work. I stayed up all night, sick with worry. When I finally fell asleep I dreamed Granddaddy chased me out of the house when I told him. Made me live in a tent at the back of our 20 acres and every time I tried to come up and talk to Gramma he'd come chasing me in the truck. When I woke up I was so terrified that I just stayed in bed. Never told him; never told either of them. So no, it's not stupid in the least."

Face's fingers were stronger now, running along the base of Murdock's skull.

"What happened to Jimmy Dean?"

"Bobby Dean!" Murdock laughed. "The Earth shattering love only lasted for about two more months after that."

Face turned his head away and Murdock knew something big was coming. Beautiful, confident Templeton Peck could be so insecure sometimes it hurt his heart.

"I just don't want to disappoint Hannibal. I don't know what I'd do if this…" Face started to roll onto his side but Murdock took hold of his arm and pulled him flat before he crawled to straddle the conman's body.

"Hannibal has not been nor is he right now disappointed in you."

"Never been? Oh, I can think of plenty times. What about the time we set fire to the Mess? That looked like disappointment to me."

Murdock waved a disregarding hand, "Pshaw. That was more directed at me. You, my love, were just an innocent bystander," his haughty British accent slipped at the questioning look in Face's eyes at his endearment.

"So he's not going to rush out and get a big ole' rainbow sticker for the car but it'll be ok. We'll get there eventually, it's just gonna take some getting used to." Murdock watched Face shake his head in the affirmative even though his brows were still knit with anxiety.

"This," Murdock said running fingers in circles on Face's chest, "this is awesome. We are awesome. Hannibal has to know that."

"Do you trust me?" Murdock asked as he leaned over and gently brushed Face's lips with his own.

"Always."

"I got you." Murdock smiled before Face leaned up and kissed him hard while the conman's hands held desperately to his back.

He did. Murdock had Face when he was stretching those long arms out to reach the bag on the chair, not wanting to move from under the pilot, almost dragging them both off the bed.

And Face had him as he used his mouth, hands and entire body to pull Murdock to him, so close and deep. Both of them gasping and crying out as they moved together.

/ / / / /

Face didn't wake when the knock came but Murdock was up immediately, throwing clothes on as he crossed the room and looked out the peephole. He opened the door and stepped out.

"Face's still asleep." Murdock said steadily meeting Hannibal's gaze.

"I sent B.A. to get breakfast. Let's talk for a minute."

Murdock shook his head and followed Hannibal to the picnic table.

"Alright, Bossman let's get this over with. Just promise me, no Lady Gaga lyrics."

Hannibal laughed and looked at him quizzically.

"What? Just because I like guys doesn't mean I listen to Lady Gaga. If that's the case you might need to add Bosco to the list in need of a Dad talk." Murdock snickered.

Hannibal started to respond but then looked behind Murdock. The pilot turned and saw Face in the doorway, a brief look of panic on his face before he saw them at the table.

"Shit." Murdock muttered before he jumped up and went over.

"Hey, sorry I didn't want to wake you up."

"No, it's alright. Everything ok?"

"I think so. We just came out."

"Yeah, we kinda did." Face said as he reached for Murdock's hand.

"Oh, Face, shut up." Murdock rolled his eyes. "Come on; let's go see what Hannibal's got in store for us. I already made him swear to no Lady Gaga."

They sat down and Face realized how much easier this would have been if he'd let Hannibal talk last night. Now he had to sit here in the light of day and watch as Hannibal's eyes flicked between the two of them, no emotion on his face what so ever.

Murdock tugged at the frayed end of his sleeve and stared off towards the highway.

Face looked away from the Colonel and then smiled as Murdock's foot brushed his.

Hannibal cleared his throat and they both popped back to attention.

"Boys." He started but then Face interrupted.

"Hannibal, listen."

Hannibal held his hand up, "You had your say last night and now it's my turn. I trust you both to not only do what's right for yourselves but me and B.A. also and at this time that's more important than whether or not I understand what's going on between the two of you."

Hannibal watched them and didn't say anything.

"So, um, that's it?" Face cautiously asked.

"No, it's not. I have to deal with this on top of our situation right now. I will not take on something else. You have to tell B.A. That's your responsibility."

Face and Murdock glanced at each other.

"Do we _have_ to tell him?" Face asked with panic in his voice.

"I'm sure eventually you'll have to, yes." Hannibal looked at them sternly.

"Ok, so next time we have to fly we'll let him know right before we inject him." Murdock suggested.

"Oh, good idea" Face said, "He'll be so angry about us knocking him out he won't worry about anything else we told him."

Hannibal's expression softened as he joined in the pair's laughter while they continued with ideas until B.A. came back with breakfast.

The End


End file.
